


A Life of Love

by Katydidwrite



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (as far as memory serves), Adrinette April 2020, Aged-Up Character(s), Canon Compliant, Children of Characters, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Non-Chronological, Set in the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 18,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23436664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katydidwrite/pseuds/Katydidwrite
Summary: A collection of non-chronological, but (mostly) related, Adrinette drabbles. Cutesy fluff and laughter galore!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 155
Kudos: 200





	1. Day 1: Pranks

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm so excited to be taking part in Adrinette April. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Marinette’s senses go on high alert when she realizes that the house is quiet. Too quiet. With two children, a baby, and an overly enthusiastic husband, there is always some kind of noise. She looks down at baby Louis, who is sleeping peacefully in the wrap against her chest as she bakes in the kitchen. One accounted for, three to go.

She cranes her neck to look around the corner into the dining room, where she had last heard Hugo and Emma. There are scraps of paper, markers, and crayons covering the table, but no children. A look in the opposite direction towards the living room shows Marinette that Adrien has vacated his spot on the couch, where he had been working on lesson plans for the end of the semester.

She hums quietly to herself, thinking that maybe Adrien has taken the two children outside for a walk. It is newly spring in Paris, and finally warm enough to enjoy the park that is just a block away from their apartment. Marinette smiles as she drops cookie dough onto the baking sheet, imagining her little boy and girl chasing each other through the grass with her husband not far behind.

Just as she has managed to lose herself in her baking again, Marinette hears a creak in the hallway, quickly followed by a shushing sound and muffled giggles. Squashing the desire to jump around the corner and see what’s going on, she instead begins to hum a little louder. Not loud enough to wake Louis, but enough to give her family the impression that she hadn’t heard them trying to sneak up on her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette sees a little head peek around the open door into the kitchen. Swallowing a laugh, she turns away and busies herself with the remaining cookie dough. Seconds pass, and she hears two sets of sock-clad footsteps cross the tile towards her. 

Marinette feels a tap on her back. Before she can whirl around to face the little mischief makers, Emma shouts triumphantly “Poisson d’avril, Maman! Poisson d’avril!” Marinette turns as she feels for the paper fish she knows they’ve taped to the back of her shirt, and smiles generously at the two children.

“Emma!” Hugo groans. “You’re not s’pose to tell her! You gotta wait ‘til she finds it!” His pout is adorable as he watches his younger sister dance in celebration of their prank. Adrien begins to laugh, drawing Marinette’s eye to where he is leaning against the doorframe. 

“Papa! Tell Emma that she did it wrong!”

“She’s just excited, Hugo,” Adrien says as he steps into the kitchen to wrap his arm around his son. “I’m sure Maman is impressed that you snuck up on her so well.” He winks at Marinette as Hugo looks up at his mother.

Marinette crouches down to hug the little boy. “You did such a good job, I didn’t even see you!” She feels Emma pull at the back of her shirt. “I want hugs too, Maman!” the little girl cries. 

“How about we all go cuddle on the couch and you can tell me all about how you snuck up on me?”

Both children shout their agreement as they run to Adrien, grabbing his hands to pull him towards the living room. Marinette smiles fondly at her little family, feeling the infant against her chest shift, and thinks to herself how lucky she is to have found such happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In France, there's an April Fool's Day tradition where children will stick paper fish on people's backs, and when they discover the prank, they shout "poisson d'avril!" So that's what Hugo and Emma are doing :) Hugo is just mad that Emma didn't wait for Marinette to find the fish before she started yelling.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Day 2: #marinettechallenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is having a study date, and Marinette is running late from an Akuma attack. Her excuse is terrible, as usual, and Alya loves to make fun of her for it.

Marinette dashes through the streets of Paris, trying to make it to the study date her friends had planned before she’s so late that they get suspicious. The akuma attack that afternoon was a particularly long one, and now it’s thrown off her whole schedule. She’s so preoccupied with her internal grousing about Hawkmoth and his inconvenient timing that she doesn’t even notice a certain blond-haired boy walking ahead of her and crashes right into him, knocking them both to the ground.

She screams as they tumble forward, Adrien rolling sideways to take the brunt of the fall. “Marinette?” He looks up at her from the ground as she realizes that she’s fallen directly onto his chest.

“A-Adrien!” She stumbles over her words, flustered by their proximity. “Oh my gosh I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Adrien props himself up on his elbows, smiling gently at her. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me!” Marinette realizes that she’s still lying partway on top of him and scrambles to her feet, extending a hand to help her friend off the sidewalk.

He graciously accepts her help and brushes himself off as he stands. “Are you running late to the study date too?” He questions, looking down the street towards the café where Marinette is supposed to be meeting Nino and Alya. Still flustered, all she can manage is a nod in affirmation as she tries to gather her wits again.

“Maybe we could walk the rest of the way together?” He smiles sheepishly, brushing his hair back into place where it had come loose from the fall. “Y-yeah, sure!” Marinette squeaks as he offers his arm to her with a dramatic flourish. “Right this way.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asks as she links her arm through his shyly. “I should have been looking where I was going, I’m seriously so sorry I knocked you over like that.”  
“It’s really fine!” He assures her. “I wasn’t really paying attention either. I was running late from a photoshoot with my father and didn’t want to keep Alya and Nino waiting for too long!”

They pause to wait for an opening to cross the street and neither of them speak for a moment. Marinette glances over to find Adrien grinning as he spots their friends at an outdoor table on the other side of the road and is struck by how wonderful his smile is when it’s genuine. She’s so enthralled by his happiness that she doesn’t notice he’s asking her a question until they’ve nearly reached where Alya and Nino are sitting.

“…running late anyway?” She blinks to clear her mind of thoughts of Adrien’s beauty. “Sorry, what were you asking?” Adrien chuckles and repeats himself. “I was just wondering why you were late.”

“Oh!” It’s at this moment that Marinette realizes that she’s forgotten to come up with an excuse for her tardiness. “Um… there was a squirrel?”

Nino and Alya are within earshot now, and she hears her friends start to laugh at her flimsy explanation. Alya looks pointedly at Marinette and Adrien’s linked arms before teasingly asking her best friend, “And how did a squirrel make you 20 minutes late?”

Marinette jumps, extricating her arm from Adrien’s as she sits down at the table, internally sighing at herself for already missing the lack of contact.

“Well…” she fumbles for a good reason before frantically replying, “It was stuck in a tree! And there were firefighters trying to get it down and they were blocking the road so I had to go around, but there was an accident on the next block so I had to go around again and then I took a wrong turn and…”

“Okay, okay! We get it girl!” Alya cuts her off, laughing at Marinette’s long-winded (but still terrible) excuse. Nino and Adrien are muffling their laughter too, and Marinette blushes. “Sometimes it seems like you make it a challenge to come up with the most ridiculous excuses,” Nino says.

“Omg!” Alya interjects. “It could be a challenge! The #marinettechallenge! I bet you I could get it trending on Twitter! Most ridiculous made up excuse gets a prize!”

All four teenagers burst out laughing at that, earning them a few glares from other patrons. “Hey, I was late too!” Adrien interjects. “Why does Mari get all the questions? Don’t you guys care about me?” He puts a silly pout on his face before winking at Marinette, causing her blush to deepen. The four of them banter back and forth for a few minutes before finally settling down to open their books. 

Marinette reaches into her purse for a pen and finds Tikki grinning up at her. The little goddess giggles as she whispers to her charge, “When we get home let’s work on some better excuses for you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calling this Adrinette may have been pushing it, but this prompt was surprisingly difficult for me! Hopefully, tomorrow's prompt will be a little more fluffy :)


	3. Day 3: Multimouse and Adrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is stuck at a meeting on his best friend’s birthday. Marinette figures he might need some help escaping, so she takes Mullo and causes some trouble. (post-reveal)

Adrien quietly sighs as he glances up from his meeting notes to look at the clock. Nino’s birthday party is starting in half an hour, but Gabriel’s board of directors are still droning on about fiscal quarters and budgets and everything that Adrien doesn’t care about. As much as he had hoped that being an adult would have freed him from his father’s company, apparently revealing Gabriel as a supervillain and sending him to jail for the rest of his life only allowed the company to grip Adrien tighter in their clutch. He tries to think of a way to excuse himself, but as soon as the thought crosses his mind he sees something out of the corner of his eye.

At first he thinks maybe it’s a mouse, based on the flash of gray and pink scurrying across the floor. Then he sees a second one, and a third, and a fourth, until he realizes that it’s not just a mouse; it’s Multimouse! His lady has come to his rescue once again.

He stifles a laugh as one of his girlfriend’s miniature clones catches his eye and winks mischievously. One of the executives notices, giving Adrien a questioning look, but he shakes his head, waving a hand at the presenter standing at the head of the table.

Within a few minutes, the room has devolved into chaos. The projector has mysteriously shut off, people’s pens are disappearing, and even the presenter’s notes have been shuffled out of order and scribbled on. A particularly flustered-looking man makes a (welcome) suggestion. “Gentlemen, why don’t we finish up for today and reschedule the rest of this meeting for another day, when can fix these… technical difficulties.”

Adrien has never been so happy to escape a meeting in his life. He’s so relieved to leave the stuffy meeting room and go join his friends for a night of celebration that he practically runs to his office to put on his coat and gather his things, noting with amusement that he’s followed by several sets of tiny footsteps. As soon as the door is firmly shut behind him, he hears Multimouse recall her clones and return to full size. “Well, I’m certainly glad to see you here,” he chuckles. “But how did you convince Mullo to transform?”

Multimouse grins as she hugs her boyfriend from behind, arms tight around his waist and head resting just below his shoulder. “You know they love to cause trouble. All I had to do was mention making some mischief and they were onboard.”

Turning to face Multimouse, he kisses her softly, brushing her dark bangs out of her eyes with one hand and holding her close with the other. He loves her so much, it almost hurts. “My lady, coming to my rescue yet again.”

Her blue eyes sparkle as she looks up at him through long, dark, lashes, the pink and gray mask still obscuring part of her face. “Always, Chaton.”

Repressing the urge to get down on one knee right then and there, Adrien instead leans down to rest his forehead on hers, brushing their noses together and closing his eyes. He feels her relax into his embrace and thinks that he would be happy if this moment lasted forever.

Multimouse has other ideas. She pops onto her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his lips and reminds him, “You know, as much as I love this, if we don’t leave now we’ll probably still be late to Nino’s party.” He opens his eyes to see her smiling up at him before a bright light washes over her, leaving Marinette where Multimouse had stood.

Mullo laughs and flies in circles around their heads before making a beeline for Marinette’s purse. Adrien steps toward the door, holding a hand out as he admires her beauty. “ _On y va, mon amour_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon Mullo as being a little trickster and loving chaos >:)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


	4. Day 4: Hand Touches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has an interview for her dream fashion school. She’s nervous, and Adrien tries to help calm her down.

Marinette wakes up, already nervous for the day to come. Tikki does her best to soothe her charge’s nerves, but Marinette is so wired it’s hard to make much of a difference. Glad that she had planned to spend most of the day leading up to her ESMOD interview with her friends, she cycles through every item in her closet at least three times before settling on what she hopes is a professional, appropriate interview outfit.

As she walks down the street to the café where they’re meeting for breakfast, she spots Adrien coming from the other direction. They meet outside the doors, and he takes her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to press a gentle kiss onto her knuckles. Marinette exhales slowly as he does so, smiling at the inquisitive look on his face. “I’m just glad that I have you to help calm my nerves.”

“Always, my lady.” He holds the door open for her and she leads him in behind her, not wanting to release his hand yet.

X

Later that morning, the four friends lay on a picnic blanket in the park near Alya’s home, lazily watching the twins run and play. They’ve been relaxing in silence for a few minutes, and Marinette’s train of thought has started to drift towards her nervousness and worry. Her eyebrows furrow as she is unwillingly pulled through her mental list of all that could go wrong tonight. 

Suddenly she is broken out of her reverie by the sensation of movement beside her. Adrien, who had been laying back between Marinette and Nino, sits up and covers Marinette’s hand with his own. He strokes the back of her hand with his thumb and whispers, “You know there’s no need to worry. You’re far too talented for them not to offer you a spot in the program.” She smiles gratefully up at him. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

“I always know what you’re thinking.” He winks at her, eliciting a giggle. “That’s why we make such a great team.”

X

Marinette manages not to obsess too much over her interview for most of the afternoon, but as her appointment draws nearer and nearer, she finds it hard to focus on anything else. She fidgets in her chair as she sits through dinner with her parents, tuning out most of what they’re saying until her mother finally catches her attention.

“Marinette? Are you sure you don’t want us to walk you to the building? You don’t look well.” Sabine looks across the table at her daughter, a kind but worried expression on her face.

“No, Maman, it’s really fine. I’m fine.” Marinette shakes her head, knowing that if she allows her parents to come with her, they’ll only stress her out more. They finish eating, clearing the table and putting the leftover food in the fridge, and Marinette sets out. As she walks down the street, her fingers wiggle with nervous energy. She wishes that Adrien were here to hold her hand. The feeling of his fingers intertwined with hers is imprinted on her memory forever, but having the memory is not the same as actually having him there.

X

“We would love to offer you a spot here starting next term.”

Marinette isn’t sure that she hears anything else her interviewer says after that. After taking several informational brochures and half-listening to the rest of the admissions officer’s speech, she has to restrain herself from literally jumping for joy as she leaves the office. She is so preoccupied with her happiness that she almost doesn’t notice the person standing on the sidewalk as she exits the building.

“Marinette! How did it go?” She whips her head to the side to see Adrien standing beside the doors, hands in his pockets and a nervous smile on his face. She runs over, throws her arms around his neck, and whispers, “I made it! I actually made it!”

Before he can respond, she steps back from him, trailing her fingertips down his arms to pull his hands out of his pockets, linking their fingers just like she had wanted to not an hour earlier. His smile is blinding as she looks up at him. He squeezes her hands tightly before leaning in to whisper in her ear. 

“I told you so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, these vague prompts will be the death of me! Still, I had fun writing this one.
> 
> I hope the slightly different format wasn't too jarring! Thanks for reading!


	5. Day 5: Statue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette reminisce on old times and appreciate what they have.

Adrien smiles as he sits on the park bench, watching his children run and play while autumnal leaves swirl through the air. Marinette sits close to his side, her head resting on his shoulder and her hands tucked under her arms for warmth. They’re due at Tom and Sabine’s weekly family dinner in a few minutes, but the kids needed to burn off their excess energy before having to sit all evening.

Looking down at his wife, he notices her gentle smile as she stares off at something in the other corner of the park. Following her line of sight, Adrien can’t help the matching grin that develops on his face when he realizes that Marinette is looking at their statue. The statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir, to be precise.

“Can you believe that was installed over 15 years ago?” Marinette is gazing up at him now, a wistful look in her eyes. “Sometimes it still feels like yesterday.”

Adrien wraps his arm around her, giving her shoulders a gentle, affectionate squeeze. “If you had told 14-year-old Cat Noir that in 15 years he would be married to his lady, the love of his life, I don’t think he would have believed you.”

Marinette laughs. “If you had told 14-year-old Marinette that in 15 years she’d be married to Adrien, the love of her life, I think she would have fainted.”

They’re both quiet for a moment as they reminisce. Adrien thinks back to how jealous he had been of Theo, the genius behind the sculpture, and how poorly he had handled it. Of course, he is still immensely jealous of any man who dares cast their affections on his beautiful wife, but he’s much better at handling it now. 

He leans over to rest his cheek on the top of Marinette’s head and curls in closer to her. She reaches her hand up to gently stroke the opposite side of his face and sighs happily. “Being with you really is as wonderful as I always dreamed it would be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewatched Copycat before writing this and, yikes, that episode was not a good look for either of them.
> 
> I hope you don't mind a bit of a shorter chapter today, but the ending just fit so well I didn't want to add more and ruin it. Thanks for reading!


	6. Day 6: Aspik and Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a mission to recover the lost Miraculous, Marinette comes up against an obstacle. She needs help and convinces Adrien to once again become Aspik.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of this chapter is based on my own headcanons about the Miraculous lore, so if that's not your cup of tea, consider yourself warned!

The air in the deserted temple is dusty and humid as Adrien and Marinette walk down an empty corridor. So far, they haven’t had too much trouble navigating the ancient building, but they’re still both on edge. After successfully retrieving the grimoire from Hawkmoth following his defeat, it has taken them several years to decode the book and gather all the information they can pertaining to the temple. As the Guardian, it is technically only Marinette’s duty to find and recover the lost Miraculous, but she is grateful for Adrien’s insistence that she not go alone.

Soon, they come across a large door covered in detailed carvings. The inscriptions range from depictions of past Miraculous holders at the top of the door to complex patterns at the bottom. As the pair of them gaze in awe, it slowly dawns on Marinette that there is something missing.

“There’s no doorknob,” Adrien sighs, beating her to the punch. “How are we supposed to get past it?”

Marinette runs through the grimoire in her mind, trying to remember if there had been any mentions of safeguards or false entrances built into the temple. “Maybe it doesn’t open and we’ve come the wrong way?”

She steps forward and hesitantly reaches out to touch the carvings, disturbing the thick layer of dust. Adrien sneezes and she involuntary jumps, her hand jerking to the side. The motion knocks a piece of the carving askew, and a lightbulb goes off in Marinette’s head.

“It’s a puzzle lock!” She exclaims, running her hands along the inscriptions to find any other movable parts. Marinette’s excitement is palpable until she has another realization.

“Wasn’t there a mention of failsafes in case an intruder tried to break in?” She looks at Adrien and sees the worry in her own eyes reflected in his. He nods at her, suggesting, “Maybe we should take some precautions. We don’t know what will happen if we get the puzzle wrong.”

Marinette kneels down, swinging her backpack off her shoulder to retrieve the Miracle Box. As she opens it and reaches for Tikki’s earrings, she starts to formulate a plan. “I think it’s probably a good idea for me to be Ladybug. We don’t know what’s behind that door, but we do know that sentimonsters can stay active for a long time, so I need to be available to purify an amok just in case.”

Adrien bends down to peer into the Miracle Box. “What do you need me to do?”

Marinette starts to reach for one of the Miraculous, and then pauses. She looks hesitantly up at her partner. “Would you be okay with being Aspik again?”

Immediately, Adrien draws back, apprehension and a little bit of fear in his eyes.

Marinette backpedals. “Only if you’re comfortable with it!” She rests one hand on Adrien’s knee and reaches up to stroke his cheek with the other. “I know you had a hard time with the snake Miraculous the last time. But I trust you. And we’re going to need Second Chance if something goes wrong with the lock and it backfires.” She smiles gently as Adrien begins to relax.

“I feel a little silly, being so worried about it still, since the disaster that was me as Aspik happened so long ago.” He covers her hand that is still on his knee with his own. “But what if history repeats itself? What if I can’t save you again?”

Reaching up to brush his hair out of his face, Marinette draws in closer to her partner. “You’ve grown so much as a person and as a superhero since those days. I have full faith that no matter what happens, you will be there to save me. You always are.”

Adrien closes his eyes, grounding himself with the feeling of Marinette’s hands in his hair and on his leg. Taking a deep breath, he nods. “Okay.” He opens his eyes, looking down at the open Miracle Box with determination. “I’ll do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently all the inspiration that I couldn't find yesterday decided to hit me full force today! I hope you enjoyed the slightly longer chapter.
> 
> Now I have a serious urge to write a whole story based off this chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Day 7: Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newly engaged couple Adrien and Marinette are finally moving in together. While packing up Marinette’s old apartment, Adrien finds something interesting.

The floor of Marinette’s bedroom in the apartment she shares with Alya is covered with boxes, bags, and various clutter. She looks around helplessly at the mess, trying to come up with a strategy for how to pack up her belongings. “Maybe I should start with my clothes,” she mumbles to herself.

Tikki zooms once around her head before settling in front of her on top of the dresser. “That’s a great idea, Marinette! Once you clear out all of your clothes it will be much easier to get an idea of what all else you need to pack up.”

For what feels like hours, she digs through her dresser and closet, setting t-shirts aside to wrap her plates in and rolling up fluffy sweaters and dresses to save space. Humming along to the Jagged Stone album playing from her phone, she is so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn’t notice Adrien standing at her door until Plagg gets bored of waiting and breaks through her reverie.

“Hey, where do you keep the cheese around here?”

Marinette looks up with a start to find her fiancé and his kwami smiling from her doorway. “Adrien! Plagg! When did you get here?” She stands up from the piles of clothing to press a quick kiss to Adrien’s lips. Stepping back, she smiles generously at the tiny cat god floating beside his head. “There’s some Camembert in the kitchen for you.”

Plagg zips off down the hallway with Tikki hot on his heels, and Adrien steps into Marinette’s room. “Getting some packing done, I see?” He grins. “It’s almost like you’re excited to move in with me or something.” His voice is full-on Chat Noir.

Marinette rolls her eyes as she settles back down on the floor, a slight blush on her cheeks. “Are you going to help or are you just going to stand there and tease me?”

Adrien steps around her and bows with a flourish. “I’m at your service, my lady.”

Giggling, Marinette points to the closet. “Can you just take everything out of there and maybe sort it into piles? I’m not sure how I want to organize it yet but I think it’ll help to just have it out.”

He nods and crosses the room to the open closet door. It only takes him a few minutes to empty all her hangers, so calls over his shoulder, “Do you want me to clear out all these containers on the floor?”

Hearing her hum in affirmation, Adrien starts opening some of the boxes. Most of them are filled with scrap fabric or half-finished projects, so he just moves those into the bedroom, not wanting to disturb whatever organization system Marinette has. As he starts to clear some floor space, a much smaller box hidden in the dark corner of the closet catches his eye.

It looks more decorative than the rest, covered with pretty fake flowers and appliques, and painted a bright, happy shade of green. The colors are faded, like it sat in the sun too long, so he guesses that it’s old. Curious, Adrien sits down and pulls the box into his lap. Upon removing the lid, he sees that it’s filled to the brim with letters.

He recognizes Marinette’s handwriting, but he can tell from the curly tails on her “y”s and “I”s dotted with hearts that she was much younger when she wrote them. Shuffling through the sheets of paper, he notices that they’re all in various states of completion. Most of them are only a few lines long, covered in scribbles or with lines crossed out. Looking closer, he sees that they’re all addressed to the same person: _him_. Upon even further inspection, he begins to chuckle. They’re _love letters_.

“My lady? Light of my life?” He’s trying to contain his laughter as he looks across the room at his fiancée. She looks up from the jacket she had been trying to fold, eyeing him suspiciously. “Yes?”

He holds up one of the letters and her eyes grow wide in horror. “Where did you get that?” She practically screeches as she scrambles over to him, snatching at the paper.

A playful wrestling match ensues as Marinette tries to steal the letters back from him. Sure, they both have years of superhero training, but Adrien has a significant size advantage. They both end up on the floor, surrounded by piles of (previously folded) clothes that they had knocked over. Adrien grins as he looks down at Marinette.

“I love you too, my lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA: Adrien likes to tease Marinette.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Day 8: Hair Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long evening of socializing with business executives and rich snobs, Adrien is tense. Marinette helps him relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this universe, when they take Hawkmoth down, they don’t reveal his identity to the public, so Adrien tells his father’s company that he suddenly retired due to a downturn in his health. Hope this helps clarify some of the details!

The annual _Gabriel_ Christmas party is worse than Adrien expected. Making small talk with snobby socialites is boring, and lying about his father’s “retirement” to every well-meaning executive who asked is exhausting. He hates having to put on his fake model smile and pretend like he’s happy to be there when really all he wants to do is leave the company behind forever and never look back.

The only good part of the evening is getting to introduce Marinette as his wife. He smiles softly to himself in the back seat of the limo the company had hired for the night as he remembers the shocked look on a particularly stubborn socialite’s face when he pulled Marinette towards him and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

By the time they get home, Adrien thinks he might just flop into bed, tux and all, he’s so exhausted. He follows Marinette blearily through the door and into the living room, where she gently pushes him down onto the couch. Sitting down beside him, she winds her arms around his shoulders.

“Are you alright, kitty? I know that tonight was probably pretty hard for you. Anything I can do to help?”

“I’m fine.” He shakes his head. “Just tired.”

She pulls back a little to give him a stern look. “You don’t have to pretend around me, Adrien. You know better than that.” Shifting to the side, she reclines against the arm of the couch, pulling her husband into her chest so that he is forced to relax against her. Running her hands through his hair to loosen the gel, she begins to massage his scalp. “You can let your hair down around me.”

Adrien smiles at the likely unintentional pun, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation of her delicate fingers in his hair. “I should be the one saying that to you. I distinctly recall _someone_ complaining all night about, and I quote, ‘those stupid bobby pins stabbing your scalp.’”

He opens one eye to peer up at Marinette. She sighs in exasperation, but he can tell from the smile on her face that she’s trying not to laugh. “You’re useless. Here I am, trying to be nice to my poor, tired husband, and how does he repay me? By making fun of me.”

Laughing, Adrien closes his eyes again and cuddles closer to Marinette. “You know you like it,” he mumbles, closer to sleep with every minute of her gentle ministrations.

When she notices him nodding off, Marinette gives him a soft poke on the nose. “Come on, kitty. Let’s get you ready for bed.” She begins extracting herself out from under him, but he stubbornly reaches up to hold her in place.

“No,” he whines, “want cuddles.”

Marinette laughs as she brushes his hands away and stands up beside the sofa. “We can cuddle in bed. If I let you sleep in your clothes on the couch, you’ll do nothing but complain about your back all day tomorrow.”

Opening his eyes, Adrien gives her a sleepy pout. “Promise we can cuddle in bed?”

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties with the prompt, but that pun was the first thing that popped into my head when I sat down to write this chapter and I couldn't not use it!
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


	9. Day 9: Alternate Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the dust has settled from Hawkmoth and Mayura’s defeat, Adrien and Marinette talk about “what ifs”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, slight angst ahead

Ladybug and Chat Noir sit on top of an apartment building near the Seine, watching the dinner cruises float down the river as the sun sinks lower and lower. Technically, there is no need for them to be out patrolling, but they’re both still on edge from the intense battle a few weeks ago that led to them taking down Hawkmoth and Mayura. Neither one has spoken a word since they landed on the rooftop, but there’s no awkwardness in their silence.

“Mar-My lady?” Chat turns to look at the girl beside him. “Can we detransform?”

Ladybug looks up, surprised at his sudden request. She glances around them, scanning for anyone that might be able to see them. “I suppose it would be safe. Why?”

A slight blush colors Chat’s cheeks as he looks away, embarrassed, although Ladybug can’t fathom why. It’s a little bit of an odd request, sure, but they haven’t had any issues since revealing themselves to each other.

“It’s just… still hard for me to see _you_ through the mask. I don’t know if the glamour hasn’t fully faded yet or if I’m just having trouble reconciling you with… yourself.”

“Oh, kitty. I totally understand,” she smiles, then calls for her detransformation. “Tikki, spots off!”

Chat closes his eyes against the pink glow that surrounds her as he does the same. “Plagg, claws in!” When he opens his eyes, the two kwamis are floating between him and Marinette, looking expectantly at the pair. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he tosses a piece of cheese to the little cat god as Marinette pulls a cookie from her purse. Taking their snacks, Tikki and Plagg settle on the roof a little ways away from them to chat.

“Honestly, I’m really glad you suggested that,” Marinette says as she readjusts her legs against the roof tiles. “I’ve been having trouble seeing past the mask too.”

Adrien scoots a little closer to her, a slight nervous energy radiating from him, although Marinette is still unsure of why he seems uncomfortable. Before she can ask him about it, he breaks the silence.

“Really, I wanted to talk to you about something, but it seemed so much harder to ask you with the mask on.”

“You can talk to me about anything, anytime.” She reaches out to pat his shoulder comfortingly. “What did you want to talk about?”

Marinette gets a little more worried when she looks up at Adrien to find that he won’t meet her eyes. What has him so worked up?

“I feel like… I’ve failed as a superhero.”

She freezes for a second as she processes what he’s just said. His earlier embarrassment makes sense now, but what he just said doesn’t.

“How in the world did you get that idea in your head?” He still won’t look at her, so she moves in closer to wrap her arm around his shoulders.

“I should have known. I lived with him for four years while he terrorized the city and I didn’t catch on. What if I had paid more attention? What if I hadn’t been so quick to let go of the theory when you suspected him? We could have stopped him so much sooner!” He finally meets Marinette’s eyes with a shaky breath, looking so sad that it breaks her heart.

Marinette hugs him tight, and after a second he wraps his arms around her in return. “Don’t you dare talk like that in front of me ever again,” she mumbles into his shirt. She pulls back slightly to give him a stern look.

“Adrien. This is not your fault. You want to talk about ‘what ifs’? What if he hadn’t decided to attack Paris over and over again? What if he had left the Butterfly Miraculous and the grimoire in the temple where they belonged? You did the best you could in an awful situation that you never should have been put into in the first place.”

He pulls her back into an even tighter hug when she’s done speaking. She’s riled up now, but it’s important to her that her partner knows how much she appreciates him.

Sitting back, Adrien gives her a small smile. “Thank you, Marinette. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Glad to see his spirits have finally lifted, she grins in return. “Then it’s a good thing you’ll always have me.”

She rests her head on his shoulder as they turn back to face the river. They sit in companionable silence as the suns sets over Paris. Their city, safe at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I took some liberties with the prompt, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! Also, I imagine that they're not together here, but you can read it either way.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Day 10: Charm Bracelet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is expanding her fashion line, and she wants Adrien’s feedback on some of her new designs.

Marinette walks out of her home office, stretching her arms over her head to relieve some of the stiffness from her two-hour-long design binge. According to the baby monitor, Hugo and Emma have woken up from their naps, so she heads up the stairs to retrieve the toddlers. She settles them in the living room with some toys and is about to get her sketchbook from her desk when she hears the telltale rattling of the front door being unlocked.

“Adrien?” She peers down the hallway to see her husband opening the door, books under his arm and a smile on his face. Turning back into the living room, she calls out, “Hugo! Emma! Papa’s home!”

The two children squeal with delight as they run clumsily down the hallway to their father. Adrien crouches down to hug them, blonde hair ruffled and cheeks red from the wind outside.

Standing up with a toddler in each arm, he walks to down the hallway to kiss Marinette on the cheek. Smiling, he asks his children, “Have you been good for Maman today?”

They nod vigorously, clinging to Adrien’s shoulders. He takes them back into the living room to play, and Marinette follows behind.

“You’re home early,” she says as he stands and wraps his arms around her. “I thought you had a lecture this afternoon?”

He presses a gentle kiss to her lips before replying, “I did. I’ve basically finished all my lessons for the semester and I thought they deserved a break before finals, so I canceled.”

“Well, since you’re here, would you care to take a look at what I’ve been working on?”

Even though they’ve been together for six years, it never ceases to amaze her how excited Adrien always is to see her designs. His face lights up as he nods, stepping back to allow her to go get her sketchbook.

When she comes back into the living room, Adrien is sitting on the couch, watching Emma and Hugo play out an imaginary game with their stuffed animals. Seeing Marinette in the doorway, he pats the couch cushion beside him. As she sits, he wraps one arm around her shoulders and rests his other hand on her knee.

“So, you know how I was talking about expanding my collection to more than just clothes this year?” She looks up to see him nod in affirmation, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Well, I was looking through some of our old photos from collège and lycée the other day, and I had a stroke of inspiration.”

Flipping through her sketchbook, she lands on the page she was looking for. One side is covered with rough drawings of beaded bracelets, and the other is close-ups of each type of bead. Marinette looks up expectantly at her husband, trying to catch the moment when he recognizes what she’s done.

Realization dawns on his face as he studies the pictures in front of him. His smile is so bright as he meets her eyes that it’s almost blinding. “Are those our lucky charms? The ones we made for each other back in collège?”

Marinette laughs. “Yes! What do you think?” He puts the sketchbook down in his lap to hug her tightly. “I love them! They’re amazing,” he starts, pulling back to pick the book up and winking at her, “just like everything you make.”

She leans into him as he continues to study the sketches. “I still have mine, you know. I keep it in the drawer of my desk for whenever I feel uninspired.”

He rests his cheek on the top of her head. “I keep mine on me whenever I can.” He reaches into the breast pocket of his coat and pulls out the string of beads that Marinette had put together so many years ago. “I need something to counteract Plagg’s misfortune,” he laughs.

Reaching up to run her fingers along the charm, she brings the lowest bead to her face and gently presses it to her lips. “A kiss for luck.”

He sits up and turns toward her, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “A kiss for luck, hm?” As she returns his gaze, he places a finger under her chin to tilt her face up towards him. “How about you give that luck straight to me?”

Marinette rolls her eyes at his cheesiness but smiles nonetheless. “I don’t know,” she teases, “maybe I’ve used it all up.” They both laugh at that. She strokes his cheek gently before craning her neck to give him a sweet, loving kiss.

“My lady, I think _you_ are my lucky charm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live for domestic fluff with these two :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	11. Day 11: Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette are incapable of casual gaming. Or, Adrien is a pun master and Marinette is fed up.

It is a gloomy day in Paris. The sky is overcast and the air is cold, leaving the streets empty as everyone avoids the winter weather. For once, Adrien is glad for the dark day. Although his responsibilities for _Gabriel_ have greatly decreased, he somehow let Vincent convince him to join in on the spring catalogue shoot. As the day drew nearer, he had been dreading it more and more, but for once he is lucky and the shoot is canceled due to the weather.

“The whole day to myself. What do you think I should do, Plagg?” He looks over to the kwami sitting on his bedside table, munching on a wedge of cheese.

Plagg rolls his eyes. “Don’t look at me! All I want to do is take a nap and eat more of this delicious Camembert.”

Adrien flops backward onto his bed, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “You’re no help,” he grumbles, “but I never get a day off, so I want to do something fun!”

Scrolling through his notifications, he opens a few messages from Nino about their lunch date on Monday, replies to a text from his physics partner, and is about to check his email when his phone vibrates with an incoming message. It’s from Marinette: _Good morning! <3 How’s the shoot going? Did they move it inside?_

Grinning, Adrien quickly taps out a response before jumping to his feet and reaching for his coat. “Come on, Plagg! We’re going to Marinette’s!”

X

Less than an hour later, Adrien and Marinette are curled up on the couch in the apartment she shares with Alya, sharing a blanket and a bowl of popcorn. There’s a movie playing on the TV, but neither one is really paying attention. Adrien relishes in the warmth of his girlfriend cuddled into his side as she tells him about her latest projects for school.

“My professor told us to design something based on a childhood memory, so I picked playing video games with my dad!” Adrien smiles at the excitement evident in Marinette’s voice. “I’ve already started the sketches and I think this one is going to turn out really well.”

Bringing the conversation around to video games reminds Adrien of collège. “You know, I have a lot of good memories revolving around video games, too.” Marinette looks up at him questioningly and he winks back at her. “Most of them with you.”

A slight blush graces her cheeks. “The first time we ever really spent time together was preparing for that tournament, wasn’t it?” She sighs and snuggles closer to Adrien’s chest. “We were so clueless back then.”

Adrien reaches down to stroke his girlfriend’s hair and an idea hits him. “Why don’t we play a couple of rounds?”

Sitting up, Marinette replies, “Right now? I think I have the old Ultimate Mecha Strike around here somewhere.” Smiling mischievously, she adds, “Best of five?”

Adrien nods. “Winner gets to pick what’s for dinner!”

X

Four rounds later, they’re tied. Adrien finds Marinette’s competitive streak totally endearing, so he decides to kick the competition up a notch. He glances sideways to see her leaning towards the screen, eyes slightly narrowed and brow furrowed in concentration. Absolutely adorable.

“My lady, I hope you _Ninten-don’t_ have any ideas for dinner, because I’m about to win.” He grins cheekily as Marinette groans.

“You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to distract me, kitty!”

Chuckling to himself, he focuses his eyes on the screen as the battle begins. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game!” Not his best work, but it still gets a reaction out of Marinette. He knows she doesn’t actually mind the puns, but she’s just so cute when she’s pretending to be annoyed that he can’t help himself.

“Don’t worry, bug, I’ll be here to _console_ you when you lose.” She has to stifle a laugh over that one, and Adrien takes the opportunity to score a combo.

“Do you need some help over there, my lady? I can be your Guitar _Hero_.”

He can practically feel Marinette roll her eyes as she retorts, “That was just plain bad!”

Adrien is close to winning now, and Marinette is frantically smashing at her controller to try and catch up.

“Looks like you’re having some trouble there; do you need to let off some _Steam_?” As he delivers the pun, his character lands the final blow on Marinette’s and the match ends.

She screeches in frustration at both the pun and her loss, falling back on the couch as the victory screen plays on the television. “You’re the worst,” she pouts. “You and your puns.”

Leaning over her with a boastful smile, Adrien kisses her forehead. “You know you love it.”

Glaring at him from beneath her bangs, she replies, “I love what? You, or your puns?”

Adrien considers for a moment before wrapping Marinette in a hug and pulling her onto his lap. “Both.”

Marinette tries to maintain the exaggerated pout on her face, but she can’t hold back her smile. Draping her arms around his neck, she pretends to consider Adrien’s words before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

“You might just be right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA adrinette with a marichat dynamic :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	12. Day 12: Piano Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien introduces his son to the piano and Marinette sneaks in to listen.

There are many perks to being married to a talented pianist, but Marinette’s favorites are the days that Adrien will spend hours playing and improvising, filling the house with music. She sits in her office on one such day, fiddling with a new design that doesn’t want to work, enjoying the calming strains of classical music coming from the living room. After a while, the music comes to a stop, and she assumes that Adrien has gotten up to start working on dinner. Much to her surprise, the silence that had settled over the house is almost immediately broken by a sour chord.

“If he left the fallboard up again and the cat got up there, I swear…” Marinette grumbles as she stands up from her desk. She stops in the hallway as the dissonant chord is repeated, quickly followed by the notes played correctly. _Well,_ she thinks to herself, _definitely not the cat_.

Curious, Marinette walks down the hall and peers through the open door to the living room. Adrien is seated on the bench, fingers resting gently on the keys, looking down at the small figure seated beside him. 8-year-old Louis sits attentively beside his father as Adrien repeats the correct chord, then places his own little fingers on the keys to try and copy him.

Quietly, so as not to alert the boys to her presence and disturb the scene, Marinette slides through the doorway and perches on the arm of the couch. She watches as Adrien gently corrects Louis’s posture before turning to face the keys and demonstrating a short sequence of notes. The little boy eagerly makes an attempt at the pattern, frowning when he doesn’t quite get it.

Marinette sits in silence, watching Adrien patiently correct and encourage their son. He smiles softly and repeats his demonstrations when Louis doesn’t get it, and claps and ruffles his dark hair when he succeeds. Marinette can’t help but smile as she observes her husband and son’s infectious joy. She knows how much it means to Adrien to be able to share one of his passions with their children, especially since Hugo and Emma had both been so resistant to any kind of music lessons when they were younger.

_Speaking of Hugo and Emma_ , Marinette thinks to herself and checks her watch. She tries to discreetly stand up to leave the room so she can pick the teens up from their swim lesson, but the arm of the couch creaks as she rises.

Adrien and Louis both turn to face the noise, identical surprised expressions on their faces when they see Marinette standing in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt,” she laughs. “I heard you playing and I wanted to see what was going on.”

Louis jumps up from the bench and races across the room. “Maman, did you see? Papa’s teaching me how to play piano! I’m gonna be just like him!” She reaches down to hug her son as Adrien stands from the instrument. The look of unadulterated pride on his face makes Marinette want nothing more than to hug him, too.

“Just like Papa, huh?” She smiles at the little boy and plants a kiss on his forehead. “I don’t think you could pick anyone better to be like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Domestic fluff is my favorite fluff <3
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	13. Day 13: Scarf Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a surprise for Adrien and she's a little worried about it.

Marinette jumps and hides her hands behind her back as Adrien walks into their bedroom.

“Have you seen my scarf?” He asks as he walks to the closet and rifles through the hangers. “The blue one that you made?”

She shakes her head, turning as he walks around the room to keep him from seeing what she’s holding. “Maybe you left it by the door? That’s the last place I saw it.”

He’s too preoccupied to notice her odd behavior as he kisses her cheek. “I’ll go check,” he says as he walks into the hallway.

Marinette lets out a sigh of relief as he disappears through the doorway. She puts the two small packages she had been holding down on the bed before retrieving the scarf in question from the box where she had hidden it.

Arranging the scarf on Adrien’s pillow, she places the two boxes on top before calling out to her husband. “Adrien! I found it!”

As she waits for him to come back, Tikki zips into the room and cuddles up to Marinette’s cheek reassuringly. This surprise had been the kwami’s idea. Ever since Adrien had found out that the scarf had been a gift from Marinette, and not his father, he had become even more attached to it. From the first vaguely cool day of fall, until the spring weather turned so warm that Marinette made him take it off for fear he’d get heatstroke, he wore the blue knit scarf. Tikki had suggested she use it to break the news to him, and Marinette had thought it was a genius idea.

Adrien walks back into their bedroom, raising an eyebrow when he sees Marinette’s empty hands. Before he can ask, she glances meaningfully at the bed behind him. When he turns around, a surprised expression lights up his face.

“What’s this?” he asks, sitting on top of the comforter and reaching for the scarf.

Marinette giggles nervously. “Open the boxes and you’ll see. Do the bigger one first.”

She fidgets, filled with anticipation as he reaches for the slightly larger of the two packages. He rips away the bright green wrapping paper and looks up at her curiously when he sees the blue knit fabric. She doesn’t trust herself to speak, nodding to encourage him to look closer.

As he holds the tiny scarf, made to match his own, up to his face, Marinette can’t help but laugh at his puzzled expression. “Is this for the cat?” he questions.

“Open the other one and you’ll see!”

He reaches for the smaller, oblong package and tears the paper away quickly. He looks confused at first as he gazes at the long, thin piece of plastic, but Marinette sees the moment it clicks in his head. Adrien looks up at her, tears starting to well up in his eyes, wonder and love written on his face. “Really?”

Marinette launches herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. “Yes, really.”

He laughs with joy then, peppering kisses all over her face and neck. She can’t help but laugh with him, wiping away the few tears that have fallen down his cheeks.

Leaning back slightly to meet his eyes, she asks the question that’s been on her mind all morning, even though she feels a little silly about it. “Are you happy?”

Adrien looks incredulous. “Happy? Marinette, I am positively over the moon!” He wraps his arms around her, one hand sliding gently over her stomach. “We’re going to be a family.”

Smiling, she pulls him closer and rests her head on his chest. He kisses the top of her head gently as they bask together in their good news, both dreaming of the future with renewed excitement. They stay like that until Tikki gently reminds them that they’re going to be late for work, and part reticently. But they both float through their days dreamily, eagerly anticipating what’s to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me, just crying in the corner over how freaking adorable these two are <3
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. Day 14: Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette makes a move.

Adrien sits awkwardly on the couch beside Marinette. He knows that he shouldn’t be nervous; they’ve done this a million times before. Movie night after a hard day at school or a troubling akuma is practically a tradition at this point, but the butterflies in his stomach are new.

He can feel the tension radiating off of Marinette, too, and that only serves to make him feel guilty on top of his anxiousness. Ever since he opened his big mouth and told her that all the times he’d flirted with her as Chat Noir were genuine, their relationship had been… strained. Grimacing as he flashes back to the fateful evening, he can still see the shocked look on her face.

Sitting cross-legged on the couch in her parents’ apartment, he feels simultaneously like he is too close to her and like she is a million miles away. Everything about her posture screams defensiveness, from her arms crossed over her chest to the knee pulled into her side, shielding most of her body from his view.

But still, he has a ray of hope that their friendship might not be totally ruined. She had invited him over tonight, after all. She’d stopped by his desk after their midterm exam and asked if he was still up for a movie night, even if she was fidgeting and refused to make eye contact the whole time.

The thought relaxes him the tiniest bit, and he decides to make an attempt at breaking down the wall that seems to have built up between them practically overnight. Leaning ever so slightly towards Marinette, he turns his head to make a snarky comment about the protagonist of the film.

Just before the words leave his lips, he catches a glimpse of her face. She looks deep in thought, almost worried. Her brows are furrowed and she’s chewing absentmindedly on one of her fingernails, a gross-yet-endearing habit of hers. It surprises him enough that he forgets what he was going to say, and only a single word comes out of his mouth.

“Marinette?”

She jumps, obviously startled, and a blush creeps up her face when she sees his puzzled expression. “Sorry, I spaced out for a second there, I guess.”

Adrien turns towards her, moving imperceptibly closer, taking advantage of her attention to try and clear the air. “It looked like you were thinking about something.”

“Just… uh… the exam today.” She falters, attempting to cover up her hesitation with a nervous laugh. “It was kind of hard and I’m not sure how I did.”

“I’m sure you did fine,” he replies. He reaches out to rest his hand reassuringly on her shoulder, but as soon as his fingertips brush against her skin she freezes. Cursing himself internally, Adrien quickly withdraws his hand and slides back on the couch, giving her space.

He’s about to turn his attention back to the abandoned movie when Marinette abruptly turns to face him.

“Adrien, I… can we… I just…” She pulls a face, and he knows from experience that she’s just as frustrated with her stuttering as he is. He stays silent, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts as the ball of anxiety in his stomach grows tighter.

She sucks in a deep breath, clenching her hands tightly in her lap and looking up at the ceiling.

Before he can say a word, she leans in, pulling his face down towards hers. She kisses his lips, hard and fast, and it's over as quickly as it started.

Her eyes still scrunched closed, she leans back. Adrien can’t formulate any coherent thoughts. Marinette… kissed him. Marinette _kissed_ him. Marinette kissed him!

She opens one eye to peer up at him and her face falls immediately. “I’m so sorry! I should never have done that!” She pulls her knees into her chest, looking as if she’s trying to let the couch swallow her whole. “It’s just… you said last week that you meant it when you were flirting with me, so I thought that meant you liked me, but I guess I was wrong, and I’m so sorry, I really am-“

As she’s rambling, Adrien comes to his senses. He practically throws himself at her to cut off her nervous babbling as he takes her face in his hands and kisses her back.

When he pulls away, she’s blushing even harder.

“Marinette, I do like you. And I’m not sorry at all that you did that. Quite the opposite, actually.” He grins sheepishly at her, waiting for her to regain her composure.

“I like you too, Adrien,” she finally responds. “A lot.”

He reaches out to take her hand. Pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles, he admires the flattering blush on her cheeks and the tentative smile gracing her lips. “I’m glad we’re on the same page about that.”

“Yeah,” she sighs dreamily. “So… are we good now? I know it’s been kind of weird between us these last few days.”

He can’t hold back the wide grin on his face. “I think we’re more than good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien.exe has stopped functioning.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	15. Day 15: Sacrifices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkmoth is up to no good and Marinette and Adrien are very done.

Marinette is always frustrated when Hawkmoth releases an akuma, but she’s never been _this_ angry. For the last week, every single time she’s finally managed to grab a moment of time alone with Adrien, there’s been an attack.

X

First, on Monday, they had been settling in for a night of movies and cuddling. She’d been enjoying Adrien’s warm embrace and the feeling of his cheek resting on her head. Then, just as the opening credits rolled, the akuma alert went out. They had rolled their eyes but rushed to transform and save the day nonetheless.

The next day, they were just about to order ice cream from André at the Pont des Arts. She’d been smiling widely, trying not to laugh at his awful puns. Their hands were intertwined tightly as they walked over the river. Then she’d caught a glimpse of the giant akuma stomping through the buildings on the left bank. They’d quickly run into a nearby alley to transform, grousing to each other on the way.

Wednesday they’d been even more unlucky. She was supposed to be meeting Adrien outside his apartment so they could take a long, relaxing walk together. Just as she had turned the corner and caught a glimpse of her boyfriend waiting on the sidewalk, her phone had started to vibrate. She’d opened her purse, hissing to Tikki, “If this is another akuma I’m going to destroy Hawkmoth with my bare hands.” The little kwami had simply given her a sympathetic look and handed her the still-vibrating phone.

They had rescheduled their walk for the day after since they obviously both still needed some time to relax and unwind. Marinette had pulled him down onto a bench in a park they passed through. Adrien had laid down, resting his head in her lap, and she was playing with his silky hair. He had looked almost like he might fall asleep, and then his eyebrows had furrowed when the screaming started a few streets away.

Friday was by far the worst. The first akuma had come just as she was about to let Adrien into her apartment. They’d shared a glance filled with frustration before rushing out together. It had been a relatively easy battle, and they’d fist-bumped before heading back towards Marinette’s place. Just as they’d detransformed, another akuma alert went out. And another. And another. Every time they’d defeated one of Hawkmoth’s unwitting minions, another one had cropped up in its place. They’d eventually collapsed into Marinette’s bed, exhausted, in the wee hours of the morning, too tired to even enjoy falling asleep together.

X

Marinette shakes her head as she wakes up late on Saturday morning, trying to clear the thoughts of the past week’s countless attacks from her head. She can feel Adrien’s soft breath on the back of her neck, and the weight of his arm draped over her side. She rolls over slowly, trying not to wake her boyfriend. His eyes are still closed, and his hair is mussed from sleep, making him look more like Chat than usual.

His eyes flutter open as the sun filters through the blinds. He shifts towards Marinette, nuzzling his head sleepily into her neck. She pulls one hand out from underneath the sheets to pet his hair as he presses a soft kiss to her collarbone. His breath is warm as he mumbles something into her skin, but she can’t hear what he’s saying.

“Mm?” she questions, “What was that?”

He rolls onto his back, arm trailing off of her side to rest across his stomach. He huffs and rolls his eyes before answering.

“I just had a few choice words for Hawkmoth.”

She laughs easily, wrapping her arms around Adrien’s torso and laying her head on his chest. His ribcage echoes with vibrations as he joins in her laughter. She could probably guess what those ‘choice words’ were, but she’s too busy relishing in their closeness.

“I know Master Fu always told us we’d have to make sacrifices… but these aren’t the kind of sacrifices I was imagining.” She tilts her head up to look at Adrien as she speaks and sees the smirk on his face as he takes in her words.

“Honestly, Hawkmoth is going to regret what he’s done this week. Every time an akuma keeps me from you, it just makes me even more determined to take him down.”

Marinette laughs as she snuggles closer to Adrien. He wraps his arms tightly around her, and they lay like that for the rest of the morning.

Until they hear the telltale vibration of their phones from the nightstand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're halfway through!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	16. Day 16: Rejected Superheroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bedtime stories take an interesting turn.

Marinette walks through the door after the sun has gone down, expecting the house to be quiet and dark. She does not expect to hear screams of joy and see two small, blond children running haphazardly down the hallway toward her.

“Hugo! Emma!” she kneels down to receive her children in a warm hug, her coat still halfway buttoned up and her bag falling off her shoulder.

Adrien rounds the corner not long after Hugo and Emma, hair disheveled and looking more than a bit frazzled. He grins apologetically at Marinette, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck and shrugging the other shoulder.

“I’ve been trying to get them down for nearly an hour,” he explains as Marinette detangles herself from their children’s enthusiastic embrace. “Every time one of them finally calms down, the other will get crazy again.”

Hugo and Emma smile up at her, looking adorable in their polka-dotted pajamas and not looking the least bit sorry for still being wide awake far past their bedtime.

Marinette sighs as she tussles their hair. “What are we going to do with you two? Have you been tormenting your poor father all evening?” She winks at Adrien and begins leading the children down the hallway. He presses a quick kiss to her cheek as they pass him before he falls into step behind her.

After spending a few minutes getting Hugo and Emma tucked into their respective beds, Marinette glances through the bookshelf in their room, looking for a calming bedtime story.

Emma peers up at her mother from under the blankets. “Can you make up a story tonight, Maman?”

Adrien chuckles at his daughter’s request. “I’ve been telling you made-up stories all night, Emma, and you didn’t like any of them!”

“That’s because your stories were boring!” Hugo interjects. “What kind of superheroes name themselves Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

Marinette can’t hold back a surprised laugh at her son’s sudden outburst. Glancing over at her husband, she catches Adrien rolling his eyes. “What kind of superhero stories was Papa telling you?”

“Silly ones!” Emma cries as Marinette sits down on the edge of the bed with a book in her hand. Hugo interrupts again, “Only a super lame villain would fight with butterflies!”

Adrien harrumphs at that, crossing his arms. “Well, if you don’t like my stories, I’ll just have to find a new son and daughter to tell them to!”

Emma and Hugo giggle at their father’s antics, and Marinette shoots him a stern glance from across the room. “I thought we were trying to calm them down, not rile them up!”

He grins sheepishly. “Apologies, my lady. They’re all yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I just writing my parents' dynamic and calling it Adrinette? ...maybe.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Day 17: Life Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a work experience field trip for school, Marinette and Adrien get a glimpse of what the other’s life is like.

Marinette is on cloud nine when she gets home from school on the day of Miss Bustier’s work experience field trip. Unlike the prior year, where all the students had been assigned positions at the Bourgeois’ hotel, this year they had all been allowed to shadow at different locations. Probably due to Tikki’s good luck, Marinette had gotten her first choice placement at _Gabriel_. She had spent all day following the design interns through photoshoots, meetings, and stylings, and now she is exhausted.

“Oh my gosh, Tikki, it was _amazing_! I’ve never been so sure about what I want to do when I grow up!” She gushes to her kwami about the experience as she changes into her pajamas and flops onto her bed. “It is pretty tiring, though. I don’t know how Adrien does it on top of going to school and fencing practice!”

Her cheeks warmed as she thought of her friend. He had spent the day shadowing her parents in the bakery, which her mother had teased her mercilessly about during dinner. She could practically see him standing in the kitchen kneading dough or arranging pastries in the display case. She thought he probably looked adorable in the Dupain-Cheng bakery apron.

Suddenly another thought struck her and her brow furrowed. If she was _this_ tired after just one day at Adrien’s father’s company, she couldn’t imagine how exhausted Adrien must be all the time! How did he even function during school?

“Tikki,” she called out, “how does Adrien do it? He has so much on his plate!” Her kwami could tell Marinette was getting really worked up and worried for her friend, and nuzzled her cheek comfortingly.

“I’m sure he has his ways of dealing with it!” The little goddess smiled encouragingly at her charge. “But maybe you could do something nice for him to let him know you’re there if he ever needs a hand!”

Marinette’s face immediately brightened, and Tikki could almost see the lightbulb going off above her head. “You’re absolutely right, Tikki! And I know exactly what I’m going to do!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I cut this short because I couldn't decide what to have Marinette do? ...maybe.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	18. Day 18: Pastries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pastries remind Adrien of Marinette. He’s surrounded by pastries. That must be why he can’t get her off his mind! Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This functions as a sequel to yesterday’s drabble but it can be read on its own!

Adrien stands behind the counter at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He smiles politely at the customer as they list off their order before turning to Marinette’s mother to relay their drinks. He’s been having fun working with the Dupain-Chengs for Miss Bustier’s work experience field trip, but the day will soon be over.

As the mini-rush dies down, Adrien’s thoughts begin to wander. He wonders how Marinette is faring at his father’s company. His sweet friend hasn’t been far from his mind all day. He can’t help but imagine what it would be like to spend a day working in the bakery with her.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts as another customer walks through the door, he manages to complete their order without asking Sabine for help. Unbidden, the image of Marinette smiling proudly at him springs into his mind. The corners of his lips lift into a gentle smile before he realizes that his thoughts have wandered to Marinette _again_.

He manages to distract himself as he helps Tom and Sabine clean and close up the bakery. They press a large box filled with leftover pastries into his hands as he leaves, both giving him a big hug before sending him home. They’re such lovely people, Adrien can’t imagine any of his classmates had a better day than he did.

Plagg pops out of his shirt pocket as he walks down an empty street towards the Agreste mansion. “Do you think they put any of those delicious-looking cheese danishes in that box?”

“Plagg!” Adrien scolds his kwami laughingly, swatting him away from the box of pastries. “Can’t you wait until we get home, at least?”

Pouting, the kwami settles back into Adrien’s pocket. They walk in silence for less than half a block before Plagg pipes up again.

“It’s too bad baker girl wasn’t there today, huh?” The tiny god smirks as Adrien’s face reddens.

Sometimes Adrien feels like Plagg can read his mind, and now is one of those times. All day, he had struggled to focus on anything other than his dark-haired, blue-eyed friend, and not the one he’s used to thinking about. Normally Ladybug occupies his thoughts nonstop, but for some reason today had been different.

He ignores Plagg’s idle chatter about cheese and pastries as he rounds a corner. He tries to rationalize why he’s been thinking about Marinette all day. Maybe because he was in her parent’s bakery? That must be it. He’s sure that as soon as he goes back to a normal school day tomorrow, Ladybug will consume most of his waking thoughts again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Plagg being sassy, a little bit of Tom and Sabine being better parents than Gabriel Agreste, and a little bit of clueless Adrien <3
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. Day 19: Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can’t rain on Adrien and Marinette’s parade!

“I now pronounce you man and wife.”

Marinette and Adrien’s family and friends cheer loudly as they share their first kiss as newlyweds. The couple runs down the aisle through the shower of confetti being thrown by their guests, laughing and holding hands.

Later, at the reception, they are practically inseparable. When they sit, Marinette’s head rests on Adrien’s shoulder, and his arm wraps around her waist. As they wander through the room, conversing with their guests, their fingers remain tightly intertwined. They dance together and it’s hard to tell where one body ends and the other begins.

The night starts to draw to an end. They don’t leave for their honeymoon until the next morning, so they stay at the reception until the only people who remain are Alya, Nino, Tom, and Sabine. Neither Adrien nor Marinette are tired, both running on the adrenaline that comes with knowing this is the beginning of the rest of their lives together.

Still, Tom and Sabine insist they go home, to rest up for their day of travel tomorrow. The newlyweds reluctantly agree, giving lots of hugs and waving jovially as they leave the venue.

When they step out onto the covered porch, it’s dark outside. They can hear the soft patter of rain landing on the sidewalk, and the streetlights twinkle on either side of the street.

They stand in silence for a moment, arms wrapped around each other.

“This reminds me of the day I fell in love with you.” Marinette looks up at Adrien with misty eyes as she speaks. “The day you gave me your umbrella outside the school.”

Adrien grins down at his wife. _His wife_. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get over how amazing it is to be able to call Marinette his wife. “You mean you didn’t fall in love with me the day you thought I put gum on your chair?”

She swats at his arm and frowns at him. “Stop that!” Marinette can only hold her pretend pout for a few seconds before her smile breaks through. “I try to be genuine for one second and you start teasing me! You’re a cad.”

“I think you mean I’m a _cat_.”

Marinette groans as Adrien chuckles at his own joke.

“Remind me why I agreed to marry you, again?”

Adrien turns to face her, a soft smile on his lips. His hands shift to rest on either side of her waist and he leans forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Because I love you.” Pulling back, he gives her a cheeky grin. “And despite what you might say when I come up with a genius pun, I know you love me too.”

Marinette smiles back before pulling Adrien in closer to her and resting her head on his chest.

“I’ll always love you, kitty.”

“Forever, my lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with that cad/cat joke all by myself and I'm very proud :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	20. Day 20: Photoshoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is modeling for Marinette’s clothing line and convinces her to join in on the fun.

Marinette is surprisingly calm among all the people rushing around the set. She had thought she’d be a nervous wreck during the first big photoshoot for her upcoming clothing line release, but after experiencing the hell that is Paris Fashion Week, she feels like this isn’t too bad.

Of course, it probably helps that Adrien is here with her. She’d been nervous about asking him to join in on the shoot, but he had been overjoyed to be a part of her first-ever solo line. Marinette had just wanted him there as an extra set of experienced eyes, but he had volunteered himself as a model, and she really couldn’t be happier.

The photographer appears next to her, breaking her out of her reverie.

“Mme. Dupain-Cheng, it seems that we are ready to start.”

“Please, call me Marinette. And if everything’s ready, let’s go!” She smiles as she takes her place to the side of the set, ready to make adjustments to the clothes if needed. They’re starting with the women’s collection, so she assumes that Adrien is still in the makeshift dressing room behind her.

Everything goes even more smoothly than she could have hoped for, and before she knows it they’re done with the female models. The set becomes a flurry of activity again as everyone prepares for the men’s collection, and Marinette catches a glimpse of blond hair out of the corner of her eye.

Adrien emerges from the dressing room in a dark blue tailored suit with a classic silhouette, but she knows that the lining of the coat has some Marinette flair. He catches her eye and reaches out for her hand, quickly closing the distance between them.

Pressing a quick kiss to her cheek, he asks, “How is everything going so far?”

She smiles widely. “Fantastic. It’s kind of surreal, seeing my designs on so many different people.” She squeezes his hand before releasing it to fuss with the collar of his shirt.

“You’ve worked so hard for this, my lady. You deserve for everything to go perfectly.” He places his hands gently on her shoulders and is about to lean in for a kiss when the photographer calls for him.

“That’s my cue!” He winks before going to take his place on set. They do a few group shots with all the male models before switching to individuals. Adrien is slated to go last, so he waits by Marinette’s side once he’s shooed off the set.

She’s grateful to have him with her, encouraging her to step in and suggest different poses or adjustments to the lighting. When he steps back in to do his solo shots, she misses the security of his presence beside her.

Marinette can’t help but admire how easily he poses for the camera. He looks so natural under the harsh lights, and he follows the photographer’s direction with practiced ease. Watching him here, she remembers how she used to obsess over his photos in magazines and advertisements, and she can’t really blame her teenaged self for falling in love with him.

“Marinette!” Adrien calls from the set, beckoning her over to where he is standing.

She quirks an eyebrow at him, curious, before joining him in front of the backdrop. He wraps one arm around her, pulling her close into his side, before whispering into her ear. “Say cheese!”

Before she can react, the flash goes off, startling her.

“What are you doing?” she laughs, trying to extricate herself from his embrace.

“Didn’t you say you wanted some photos that incorporated both the men’s and women’s collection?” He smiles at her as he shifts them to face more toward the camera. “I noticed that you were wearing something from the line, so why not take the opportunity?”

She tries to convince him to get one of the other models to join him instead of her, but Adrien is nothing if not insistent. They pose together for a few minutes before she finally manages to escape back to the sidelines, but she knows that she can’t hide her smile from him.

A few days later, when the preliminary edits from the photographer arrive in her inbox, she’s pleasantly surprised with how the photos of her and Adrien turned out. She thought she would look as awkward as she felt, but Adrien must have shared some of his model magic with her.

Adrien peeks his head around the office door, presumably to ask her something, but stops short when he sees her changing her background to a photo of them laughing together, arms wrapped around each other’s waists.

“Didn’t I tell you they’d turn out well?” he asks as he comes up behind her. He presses his lips to the top of her head before taking the mouse from her hand to scroll through the rest of the proofs.

Marinette rolls her eyes. “I suppose there are a few nice pictures of the two of us in there.” Reaching up to ruffle his hair teasingly, she stands up from the desk. Adrien wraps his arms around her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, and then her lips.

“We make a pretty good-looking pair, don’t we?” His eyes sparkle mischievously, just like when he used to flirt with her from behind the mask, and she can’t help but bop him on the nose.

“I guess we do, kitty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest one so far!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	21. Day 21: Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A retrospective of Adrien being a lovesick fool.

As long as Adrien can remember, he’s been told by cynical adults that it’s hard to “keep the magic alive” in relationships. Maybe it’s because he and Marinette have _literal_ magic, but they’ve managed to keep their relationship going.

Every time he thinks he can’t fall more in love with his wife, she does something to make him realize just how wrong he is. Fourteen years and three children later, he thinks back to the day he fell in love with the girl in the spotted suit and thinks to himself that he didn’t even know what love really was back then.

When Marinette had forgiven him for that terrible misunderstanding with Chloe and the gum, he’d been ecstatic. Of course, at the time he had thought it was just because he wanted to make friends at his new school. Now he knows that he had loved her as her civilian self even then, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to how he feels now.

Every akuma battle they’d fought together, he had thought to himself that he couldn’t possibly love anyone like he loved her. Which was true. Except, compared to how he loves her now, back then it was nothing but puppy love (well, _kitten_ love).

The day he’d found out that Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same was simultaneously the best and worst day of his life. He and Ladybug had just unmasked his father as Hawkmoth, and in his distress, Adrien hadn’t noticed his ring beeping its final warning. Ladybug had stayed by his side to comfort him even after the transformation wore off, and eventually, she had to detransform as well. He remembers how his heart had soared when Marinette’s face emerged from under Ladybug’s mask, only to crash once again when he realized that after all these years, he still couldn’t have her. At the time, she had been dating Luka. Even through all the heartbreak of that terrible day, he hadn’t stopped loving her.

The next year and a half had been utter torture for him. He had refused to admit his feelings to Marinette, not wanting to put her in an awkward position with Luka or open himself up to more heartbreak when she inevitably turned him down. He’d been so lovesick and heartbroken that he hadn’t even noticed when Marinette started turning up to group outings by herself, instead of with her boyfriend in tow. Then they had gone together to the restored temple to retrieve the lost Miraculous, and everything had come to a head. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but they’d returned to Paris with a reformed bond, having finally revealed their feelings to one another. Adrien had thought then that he couldn’t love her more. He had been wrong.

He remembers how many times he had to exercise more self-restraint than he thought he had to keep from proposing to her too soon. Every time he got lost in her bluebell eyes, or he felt her soft touch on his skin, or she turned to him with a smile brighter than the sun, he’d wondered how he had ever survived without her. He still wonders that now.

Then they’d finally gotten married, and it was absolute bliss. He relished in the knowledge that he would never have to live another day without knowing for certain that she was his forever. Every day he woke up by her side was a day that he knew he loved her more than anyone had ever loved another person. He still feels like that every morning.

When they’d found out they were pregnant with Hugo, Adrien had been overjoyed and terrified. Marinette had been an angel, reassuring him that he would be nothing like his father. Every time she called him over to feel the tiny little kicks, or she laid on the sofa and let him rest beside her and tell stories to their baby, he had thought his heart would burst. If it were possible for a heart to do that, he thinks it would have happened to him a long time ago.

At the same time, Marinette had released her first-ever solo fashion line, proving time and time again that she was still a superhero without Tikki and her transformation. The mixture of love and intense pride had made him want to shout, to tell the world how amazing his wife was and how lucky he was to get to stand by her side. He actually did that at one point, and he can still remember the adorable bright red blush on Marinette’s cheeks as she made a futile effort to stop him.

And he knows that Marinette loves him just as much as he loves her. Through every legal battle with his father’s company, and every finals week during his doctorate, and every finals week during his students’ doctorates, she was always there. He could always turn to her when everything felt like too much, and she would wrap her arms around him, or smile, or just talk, and his spirits would instantly lift.

Through everything life had thrown at them, he and Marinette had held their ground, leaning on each other. They had shared in joy and sorrow and every peak and valley in between. They loved each other. And he thinks that maybe that’s the real magic. Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so sappy, but what is Adrien if not sappy?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	22. Day 22: Outfit Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wants a second pair of eyes to choose her outfit for an event, but Adrien is no help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a prequel to Day 8: Hair Down, but obviously they can be read separately!  
> Also, there is some slightly more mature flirting in this chapter. I think it’s still pretty tame, but if that’s not your thing, consider this your warning!

Marinette emerges from the closet, holding the zipper of her dress closed with one hand and twisting her hair off her neck with the other. She does a little twirl and then strikes a dramatic pose. “What do you think of this one?”

Adrien sits on their bed, leaning back on his elbows, already wearing the suit he’s picked out for the _Gabriel_ Christmas party tonight. His tie hangs undone around his neck and his dress shirt is only buttoned up halfway. Marinette’s heart flutters at the sight of him and she has to remind herself that if she doesn’t stay focused and pick out an outfit now, they’re going to be late.

“My lady, you look absolutely gorgeous.” He smiles as she turns to look at herself in the mirror. “If you wear that I’m going to be fending off wishful suitors all night.”

She rolls her eyes at him. “Nobody is going to be paying any attention to me if I’m standing beside _you_ , the famous Adrien Agreste.” She twists this way and that to get a better view of herself before heading back into the closet to change.

“I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that one, bug,” he calls from the bedroom.

When Marinette returns, this time wearing a tailored pantsuit, Adrien has buttoned his shirt and is in the process of knotting his tie. When he turns to look at her, his eyes widen momentarily before a smirk passes his lips.

“ _Meow_.”

Acutely aware of the blush rising to her cheeks, Marinette turns on her heel and marches back into the closet. She marvels at how, even though they’re married, he can still evoke the same reaction from her as if she were in collège.

“No, my lady, come back!” She can hear him laughing, but she’s already in the process of changing into her final outfit option.

“You need to keep your hands to yourself tonight, kitty, and obviously that would have been a problem if I wore that!”

He’s silent for a moment before he replies. “Touché.”

Marinette returns to the bedroom in a dress that she designed a few years ago but hasn’t had the chance to wear yet. She catches sight of Adrien brushing gel through his hair, but he freezes when he meets her eyes in the mirror. His mouth hangs open for a few seconds before she takes pity on him.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” She giggles as she turns to the vanity to grab her bobby pins.

He shakes his head as if to gather his thoughts before turning to face her.

“I really am the luckiest man alive,” he sighs.

She looks over her shoulder to smile and beckon Adrien towards her. “Stop fawning and come help me.”

As she sweeps her hair into a loose twist and begins pinning it in place, she feels her husband step up behind her. He zips up the back of the dress, his hands sliding down her back to linger on her waist. He presses his lips to her shoulder, and then her cheek as she finishes securing her hair.

Marinette turns to face him, draping her arms over his shoulders and standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him gently. Adrien tilts his head down to rest his forehead on hers.

“Do we have to go?” He whispers, eyes closed, his hands sliding across her back to pull her in closer. “As beautiful as you are in that dress, I would much rather skip to the end of the night where you take it _off_.”

“Down, kitty,” she laughs as he drops his head to nuzzle her neck. “As much as I know you don’t want to go, we do kind of have to.”

Adrien groans before reluctantly stepping away from her, one hand brushing down her arm to intertwine their fingers. He kisses the back of her hand and winks.

“My lady, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the party tonight?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone get them some water because they are thirsty!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	23. Day 23: Banana Suit Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after battling Oblivio, Marinette and Adrien run into Mr. Banana on the street. Why does his voice sound so familiar?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: This chapter disregards the end of Miracle Queen because what happened to Fu hurts me and I want to pretend he gets a better ending.

Adrien takes a deep breath of the fresh, spring air as he walks through the park with his family. Marinette strolls along to his left, and Hugo walks between them, holding his mother’s hand. Emma is perched on Adrien’s shoulders, having gotten cranky and insisted that she was too tired to walk. He can hear her giggling as she reaches out to touch the leaves on every tree they pass.

Suddenly, he feels Hugo tugging on the hem of his shirt.

“Papa, Papa, look!” The little boy lets go of the fabric to point at the gate they’re headed towards. “It’s Mr. Banana!”

Adrien follows his son’s gaze, and sure enough, the man in the banana suit is standing at the entrance to the park, handing out flyers. He catches Marinette’s eye and he can tell that they’re thinking of the same thing.

Years ago, when they had lost their memories while fighting Alya and Nino as the akumatized villain Oblivio, he had temporarily donned the Mr. Banana costume while unable to transform. For a while, the only reason he’d known about it were some pictures he had found online that a passerby had taken and posted on the Ladyblog forums. Later, after he and Marinette had revealed their identities to each other and it was safe, Tikki and Plagg had told them the whole story of what happened that day.

Even though neither of them could actually remember, Marinette never let him live it down. He couldn’t even bring bananas home from the store without enduring merciless teasing about “Bananoir” for the rest of the day. He can’t help but chuckle at how, even though his wife refuses to acknowledge his puns, she’s so proud of the one she came up with to make fun of him.

“Hey, do you think he’d be willing to switch costumes for a little while?” Marinette smiles teasingly and winks at him.

Adrien rolls his eyes. “I can’t even remember wearing that costume, but I’m still sure it’s not an experience I want to repeat!”

Hugo tugs on his mother’s hand to get her attention. “Maman, can we go say hello to Mr. Banana?”

“Sure, Hugo,” Marinette replies with a gentle smile on her face. “Why don’t we go see what kind of flyers he’s giving out?”

The little boy takes off, practically dragging Marinette along with him. Adrien hurries after them, holding Emma’s legs in place so that she doesn’t fall from her perch on his shoulders. As they get closer, he can hear Mr. Banana talking to a group of older children, and his voice seems familiar to Adrien. He can’t quite place it, but he knows he’s heard this man before.

He looks over at Marinette, and from the furrow of her eyebrows, he can tell that she recognizes the man’s voice as well.

Releasing his mother’s hand, Hugo runs up to the costumed man. Adrien lifts Emma off his shoulders so that she can run after her brother. He reaches out to take Marinette’s hand as they join their children at the gate.

“Hello, Mr. Banana!” Hugo cries. “What kind of papers do you have?”

The man in the suit responds jovially to the children’s questions, showing them flyers advertising a party in the park to celebrate the beginning of spring. The longer he speaks, the surer Adrien is that he’s heard that voice before, but he still can’t quite place it.

Apparently, Marinette is having the same issue, because once the children are absorbed in the flyer that’s been handed to them, she turns to Mr. Banana. “I’m sorry, but do I know you? Your voice sounds very familiar.”

The man in the suit laughs, and Marinette and Adrien look at each other quizzically. When he finally responds, both of their eyes widen in shock.

“How are Tikki and Plagg doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, but Fu in the banana suit would be soooo funny because he's so short, he'd only take up like 1/3 of the costume.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	24. Day 24: Kwami Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and Plagg love their chosen, but sometimes they’re just so oblivious.

Tikki and Plagg sit on the kitchen counter in Marinette and Alya’s apartment, watching their chosen page through the grimoire together in the living room. Tikki delicately munches on one of Marinette’s homemade macarons, while Plagg chows down on a wedge of Camembert.

“Remind me again why we can’t just lock them in a closet until they admit their feelings?” Plagg speaks with his mouth full of cheese, but Tikki knows him well enough to understand what he’s saying. She giggles at his abrasiveness, covering her mouth with one tiny paw.

“Plagg, you know we can’t interfere too much with their relationship! Don’t you remember what happened the last time you meddled?”

The little black god rolls his eyes before swallowing the rest of his cheese. “The Trojan war wasn’t _entirely_ my fault!” He cries.

“Yes, well, I would still rather not have a repeat of that situation.” Tikki gently nuzzles her partner’s head.

Plagg huffs. “Fine. But just look at them! You can’t tell me you don’t wish you could knock some sense into them.”

Tikki gazes fondly at Marinette, where she is seated beside Adrien on the couch. They’re both leaning over the ancient text, sitting close but not _too_ close, knees barely touching. She watches as they both reach to turn the page at the same time and they recoil as if they’d been shocked. Neither seems to notice the blush rising to the other’s face as Marinette quickly flips the page and starts babbling about what’s written there.

“I keep trying to encourage Marinette to talk to Adrien about her feelings, but she’s convinced that it would ruin their friendship,” Tikki sighs as she turns back to face Plagg. “Even after all these years she still can’t see that he loves her just as much as she loves him.”

“Yeah, well, he still thinks she’s dating that musician guy, and he refuses to do anything because he doesn’t want to mess up their relationship!” Plagg grumbles. “What’s up with that? Why doesn’t she tell him they broke up?”

Tikki giggles at that. “She’s been dropping hints! It’s not her fault Adrien isn’t picking up on any of them!”

Groaning, Plagg takes another bite of his cheese. “That boy is blind. Unless baker girl spells it out for him, he’s never going to figure it out.”

At that moment, Marinette walks into the kitchen, and the two kwamis quickly change the subject. She reaches into the cabinet for two glasses and pours some lemonade before turning to Plagg and Tikki.

“Are you guys doing alright in here? Need any more snacks?”

Tikki flies up to nuzzle her chosen’s cheek. “No, Marinette, we’re fine! Don’t worry about us!”

“Yeah, go worry about lover boy in there instead.”

Marinette’s face immediately goes red as Tikki chastises her partner. “Plagg! What did I tell you?!” She turns back to face the blushing woman. “Don’t pay any attention to him, Marinette! You know he likes to tease.”

Marinette nods mutely before returning to the living room, glasses in hand. The kwamis watch as she attempts to place the lemonade on the coffee table, tripping and nearly knocking over a vase of flowers in the process. Adrien jumps up to catch her, wrapping one arm around her torso and steadying the vase with his other hand.

“Are you alright?” He asks, a concerned expression on his face.

“Yes!” Marinette squeaks. “Fine! I’m fine!”

They stand like that for a moment before both realizing that Adrien’s arm is still around Marinette’s waist, and jump apart awkwardly. Adrien reaches up to rub the back of his neck while Marinette’s eyes dart around the room, looking anywhere but at him. After a moment, she snaps out of it, gesturing to the grimoire, and they both return to their original positions on the couch, albeit farther apart.

In the kitchen, Plagg sighs and shakes his head. “They’re never going to figure it out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I insinuating that Paris, Helen of Troy, and King Menelaus were Miraculous holders? Yes, yes I am.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	25. Day 25: Cheek Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pining, jealousy, and obliviousness

Adrien pauses outside the door to Marinette’s home, taking a moment to calm his nerves before ringing the bell. He’s been looking forward to the party all day, but now that it’s here he can’t shake the overwhelming nerves. The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door shakes him from his thoughts, and he plasters his model smile on his face just as the doorknob turns.

“Adrien!” Sabine greets him warmly, ushering him inside and enveloping him in a motherly hug. “Everyone else is already upstairs, go on and join them.”

Smiling politely as he thanks her, Adrien climbs the stairs to Marinette’s family’s apartment. He had thought that his partner had planned a small celebration for her birthday, but from the number of voices floating down the staircase, he wouldn’t be surprised if he finds their whole class in the living room.

When he reaches the landing, he hesitates. Should he knock? Would anyone even hear it over the conversations and music? Before he can make a decision, the door flies open and he stands face-to-face with Marinette.

“Oh!” She looks surprised, her eyebrows hidden beneath her bangs and pink lips forming an ‘o’. Adrien is sure his face bears a similar expression, but he’s pretty confident that she’s not stunned by the beauty of the person standing opposite her like he is.

Luckily for him, Marinette recovers quickly, motioning for him to come into the apartment.

“I was just about to go downstairs and ask Maman if she’d heard from you! Perfect timing!” She grins widely as she shuts the door behind him.

Marinette turns away from the door to face him, and his brain short-circuits when she starts leaning in closer to him. He’s practically frozen in fear for a few seconds before her lips brush against his cheek and he realizes what’s happening. _Bisous_. Adrien mentally smacks himself. Returning the cheek kiss on the other side of her face, he tries to collect himself enough that she won’t be able to read his thoughts on his face when they pull away from each other.

When he works up the courage to look at Marinette, her cheeks are tinted a rosy pink color. _Is she that embarrassed to have me here?_ He averts his eyes quickly, fidgeting with his hands.

“Thanks for inviting me buga- I mean, Marinette.” He breathes a sigh of relief when she giggles at his slip-up instead of reprimanding him.

“Of course, Adrien! It wouldn’t be a birthday party without my partner here.” She nudges his shoulder with her own, and he finally makes eye contact with her again. There’s some kind of emotion that he can’t quite read in her blue irises, and it’s making him uneasy. Can she tell how in love with her he is? Is she trying to find a way to let him down gently?

Before he can spiral into his own thoughts again, Nino and Alya pop up beside them. They both greet Adrien enthusiastically before launching into an animated conversation that he only half-follows. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots blue hair, and then Luka joins them. The older boy wraps one arm easily around Marinette’s waist and kisses her cheek, then turns to acknowledge the rest of the group.

Adrien has to physically restrain himself from growling as Luka holds Marinette close. He tries to remind himself that his lady’s love life is none of his business, but judging by Nino’s questioning stares, he’s not doing a very good job at hiding his jealousy. He doesn’t think he can stand another second, so he excuses himself to go to the bathroom.

What he doesn’t see is Marinette watching him walk away, confusion and hurt written on her face. He doesn’t see her gently shrug off Luka’s arm and pull Alya away from the group. He doesn’t hear Marinette ask, “Do you think Adrien is angry with me?” And he definitely doesn’t see the incredulous look on Alya’s face before she shakes her head and mumbles, “Idiots! Both of you! Idiots!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this one is kind of a mess, but tbh Adrien is a mess, so it works :/
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	26. Day 26: Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien have a sick baby on their hands.

Marinette hangs up the phone and walks into the living room. Adrien is sitting on the couch with Hugo laying on his chest, murmuring softly to the sleeping baby as he gently strokes his head. She slides onto the cushion beside them, doing her best not to jostle her husband and son.

“The pediatrician said that with such a low fever, there’s not much we can do. I told him we would call back if anything changed.” She reaches out to press the back of her hand to Hugo’s tiny forehead, but he feels the same as he had before she’d called the doctor.

She rests her head on Adrien’s shoulder, curling into his side and laying one hand on Hugo’s back. She feels Adrien’s sigh more than hears it as he rests his head on hers.

“I know it’s totally normal for babies to get sick,” he admits, “but I can’t help worrying.”

“That’s what makes you such a good papa.”

He presses his lips to her hair before wrapping his free arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. After a few minutes, she notices that the even rise and fall of his chest has slowed, and she looks up to see Adrien’s eyes closed peacefully.

They’d taken turns soothing Hugo’s feverish cries all night, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Adrien hadn’t woken her up to switch places as often as he should have. Happy that he’s finally getting some rest, she snuggles into his side, softly kissing the baby’s head before closing her own eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super duper short one today because my brain isn't working, hope you don't mind!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	27. Day 27: Naps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien takes a cat nap.

Marinette lets herself into her boyfriend’s apartment with the key he had given her. A fluffy white cat winds around her ankles as she takes off her coat, and she bends down to pet its silky fur. She’s exhausted from a full day of design classes, preparing for the winter student fashion show, and all of her other finals. Wandering down the hallway, she peers into the living room, expecting to see Adrien working on his thesis, but the room is empty.

“Adrien?” she calls out into the apartment, but there’s no response.

She pulls out her phone to double-check the text he’d sent her earlier that day. Sure enough, the message from him reads, _Are you still free to come over tonight?_ She had responded in the affirmative an hour or so before she left her classes, but he never texted back.

A little worried now, Marinette continues down the hall, checking the kitchen as she passes. Still no sign of her boyfriend. Maybe something came up with his father’s company? No, he would have sent her a message if that was the case. It’s strange in and of itself that he hadn’t bombarded her with texts as he waited for her. The boy is needy (and she loves him for it).

She’s just about to call him when a noise from the bedroom catches her attention. Gently pushing the door open, Marinette pokes her head around the corner. She lets out a sigh of relief when she sees Adrien laying in his bed, sound asleep. The noise she heard must have been the rustling of sheets as he moved around.

Putting a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles, she steps fully into the bedroom. Silly cat, taking a nap while he waited for her. For a moment, she just stands and takes him in. His blond hair is tousled, falling into his eyes. His laptop sits, open, on the pillow beside him, so he must have been working when he fell asleep. He’s wearing an old pair of sweatpants, but no shirt, and Marinette can’t help but take the opportunity to admire his sculpted chest.

Without much hesitation, she slips onto the bed beside him. After picking up his computer and moving it to the bedside table, she curls up with him, laying her head against his chest and her arm across his torso. Listening to his heartbeat and the slow rhythm of his breathing, it’s not long before she’s asleep too.

X

When Adrien opens his eyes, it’s dark in his bedroom, and it disorients him. He blinks a few times, trying to clear the sleepy fog from his brain. He remembers laying bed, typing away as he waited for Marinette to come visit. …Marinette.

As he thinks her name, he notices the weight on his chest. Looking down, he can see his girlfriend’s dark hair against his skin, and he feels her even breath on his bare chest. Smiling to himself, he shifts onto his side to face her. She mumbles in her sleep at the movement but quickly settles back into his embrace.

It’s still dark in the room, but as his eyes adjust Adrien gazes softly at Marinette. Her long eyelashes rest against her cheeks and flutter gently as she dreams. He runs his thumb gently over her parted lips.

Adrien sighs. He knows that she’ll probably tell him off when she wakes up for letting her sleep for so long, but he can’t bear to disturb her when she looks so peaceful. He presses a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. Then, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping his arms tightly around her, he closes his eyes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this made me realize how single I am.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	28. Day 28: Care Package

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Sabine send Adrien and Marinette a care package during their finals.

“Thank you, Papa! Thanks, Maman! We really appreciate you sending us all these goodies,” Marinette speaks into the phone from the couch in her and Adrien’s apartment. Her parents had sent over a big box of sweets and pastries, plus a few DVDs and a big fluffy blanket. The note inside had read, _For our favorite university students. Make sure you take some time to relax during finals!_

From his spot on the sofa beside her, Adrien reaches out for one of the macarons. Marinette smacks his hand jokingly before covering the receiver. “Wait for me, you greedy cat!”

He gives her a goofy smile and a wink before sitting back. Marinette quickly finishes up the conversation with her parents, setting the phone aside when she hangs up.

“So, Mari, what do you say to a movie night tonight?” Adrien wraps one arm around his fiancée’s shoulders and pulls her in close to him.

Marinette snuggles closer to him, nodding her head. “I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

A few minutes later, they’re cuddled together under the large, fluffy blanket with some newly released rom-com playing on the television. Their arms are wrapped around each other and their legs tangle together. It doesn’t take long for the pile of snacks beside them to dwindle.

Halfway through the movie, Marinette feels Adrien start to shift. 

“Are you uncomfortable, kitty?”

“Not at all, bug. Just-“ his sentence is pierced by a long yawn. “-a little tired.”

Marinette frowns at him in the dark. “Do you want to stop here for tonight and go to bed?”

Adrien pulls her closer in response. “No, because that would involve getting up.”

She laughs as he nuzzles her cheek with his nose, the ends of his hair tickling her face. Turning onto her side to face him, Marinette presses her lips to his cheek before resting her head on his chest. His hand slides down her shoulder and his fingers begin to trail lazily up and down her arm.

They lay like that for the rest of the movie, Marinette half-paying attention and half-listening to his heartbeat. When the credits roll, neither one of them makes a move to get up. Instead, Adrien idly threads his fingers through hers before gently kissing the top of her head.

“We should probably get up and go to bed,” he whispers into her hair, voice muffled and drowsy.

Marinette stifles a yawn as she unclasps his hand and wraps both arms around his torso. “Eh, the couch is comfy enough.”

He gives a little laugh at that but doesn’t say anything more. Neither one makes an effort to move, and within a few minutes, they both drift off into a peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you couldn't tell from the last three chapters, sleepy/cuddly Adrienette is my favorite Adrienette :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	29. Day 29: Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk down memory lane.

Marinette and Adrien stroll hand-in-hand down the street, on their way to the Dupain-Cheng bakery for their weekly family dinner. It’s a beautiful spring day in Paris, and they’ve decided to leave a little early and take the scenic route.

Adrien’s fingers tighten around Marinette’s as they approach the now-empty mansion that he grew up in. She squeezes his hand reassuringly as she navigates them around the building, taking an extra few minutes to make sure he doesn’t have to see it.

A few minutes later, they pass over the Pont des Arts. André isn’t there today, but Adrien remembers countless summer afternoons spent sitting on this bridge with one of his famous ice creams. It’s a bit of a bittersweet memory for him. For a few years, every time he was here, André would describe his dream girl as he scooped out the ice cream, and he would have to carefully look anywhere but at Marinette, pretending not to know who the glacier was talking about. Discreetly gazing at the blue-eyed girl beside him, Adrien decides that once summer comes, they’ll have to make some new memories here.

Marinette gently pulls him along, and before he knows it, they’re coming up on Collège François-Dupont. Thinking back, it’s a wonder how they didn’t realize each other’s secret identities sooner. He always noticed Marinette sneaking out of class during akuma attacks, but he was always too worried about finding a place to transform to really think about why she would do that. Adrien notices Marinette slow down almost imperceptibly as they pass the school, and he wonders if she’s thinking about the same thing.

They cross the street and enter the Place des Vosges, cutting through the park towards Tom and Sabine’s apartment. So many memories crowd his thoughts as they walk that he can’t focus on just one. There’s the statue in one corner of Ladybug and Chat Noir that he knows Marinette spent many a night gazing at from her balcony. Opposite that is the carousel, where Alya and Manon had been trapped by Stormy Weather. Actually, now that he thinks about it, there were a lot of akumas in the park, like Befana at Marinette’s birthday party. There are good memories here too, though, like at their class’s Heroes Day picnic. Marinette had kissed him on the cheek that day, and he had practically floated through the next week (all the while still denying his feelings for her to Plagg).

Finally reaching the bakery, Marinette and Adrien enter through the back door, taking the stairs up to the family apartment. Tom and Sabine greet them warmly, hugging both of them and fussing over their lack of coats. Adrien can smell dinner cooking in the kitchen, and he thinks he can even detect a whiff of something sweet. He can’t help but smile. Even before they were together, Marinette’s apartment always felt more like home than the big, empty, house he grew up in.

As they settle in for dinner, everyone chatting happily, Adrien thinks about all the memories he has in Paris. He can’t wait to spend the rest of his life making more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geographically this walk makes absolutely no sense lol. The Pont des Arts and the Place des Vosges (which I assume is where Marinette’s family lives because it certainly bears a strong resemblance) aren’t really within casual walking distance of each other, and the Agreste mansion is probably a lot closer to the bakery than to the bridge, but I didn’t have the brainpower to make it work logically, so this is what you get :P
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	30. Day 30: Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A relaxing day spent with friends.

Adrien, Marinette, Nino, and Alya lounge on a blanket spread on the grass in the park. The air is hot, but the tree above them grants some shade and refuge from the heat. Insects drone in the air around them, combining with the sounds of children laughing on the playground.

Marinette looks up at her husband from her seat beside him. He’s gazing wistfully at the play structure, the ice cream cone in his hand starting to melt due to his inattention. They had gotten a babysitter for the first time since Emma was born in order to spend the day out with their friends, but she knows that Adrien doesn’t like to be away from their children for long.

An idea suddenly comes to her, and she has to stifle a laugh to keep from drawing Adrien’s attention. Catching Alya’s eye, she motions to the dripping ice cream and winks. Her best friend understands immediately, whipping out her phone to take a video.

Leaning forward, Marinette reaches for Adrien’s cone. Quickly scooping up some of the dripping ice cream with her finger, she taps him on the nose, leaving a spot of chocolate on his face.

Adrien blinks rapidly as his eyes refocus, trying to process what just happened. Marinette, Alya, and Nino all burst into laughter at the shocked look on his face, practically falling over themselves on the blanket.

Marinette catches the moment his surprise turns into mirth as he joins in on the laughter. His eyes crinkle as he gives her a mock glare, and she sticks her tongue out in return.

“My lady, how could you betray me so?” Marinette rolls her eyes at his mock dramatics, but he knows she secretly enjoys it.

Adrien reaches up to wipe the ice cream off his face, but his hand stops short as an idea comes to him. He gives Marinette a devious grin, and she immediately knows what he’s thinking.

“Don’t you dare!” she squeals as she scrambles backward. Adrien advances, leaning over her as she falls onto the blanket.

“Payback,” he whispers, before rubbing his nose on her cheek, smearing chocolate ice cream on her face as well. He leans back, admiring his work, as Marinette pouts. She looks over at Alya, who’s still recording, and scrunches her nose up at the camera.

She looks back at Adrien, still chuckling at his own antics. Seeing him so happy, she can only keep her sour expression for so long. Soon enough, all four of them are laughing again, filling the air with their joyful noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Et c'est tout! I had so much fun participating in Adrinette April this year. A huge thank you to everyone who read, commented, and gave kudos; it's been wonderful having you all interact with my work!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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